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Contributing#

Programming
Open-source
GIT

23.01.2025 | 1-2 min. reading

Introduction: Contributing to Open Source: A Quick Guide#

Open source contribution is a great way to improve your coding skills, help the community, and collaborate with developers worldwide.\ Here's a quick guide how to get started:

Finding Projects#

*If you're seeking for them

  • Search for projects matching your skills on GitHub using the "good first issue" or "help wanted" labels.
  • Visit platforms like First Contributions, Up for Grabs, or Good First Issues to find beginner-friendly projects.
  • Consider contributing to projects you already use and understand.

Getting Started#

1. Project Setup#

  • Fork the repository by clicking the "Fork" button on the project page.
  • Clone your forked repository locally:
git clone https://github.com/your-username/repository-name
  • Create a new branch for your changes:
git checkout -b feature-branch-name

2. Before Contributing#

  • Read the project's README.md and CONTRIBUTING.md file for guidelines.
  • Review coding standards and testing requirements.
  • Join project discussions via appropriate and mention in the project channgels, most often it's GitHub Discussions of the target project.

3. Making Changes#

  • Make your changes following project guidelines - locally.
  • Test your changes thoroughly.
  • Commit your changes with clear, descriptive messages.
  • Push to your forked repository.

git add <. or someFile>

git commit -m '<Commit message>'

git push <may need to specify the origin: `--set-upstream origin <branch-name>`>

4. Creating Pull Requests#

  • Click "Compare & pull request" on your forked repository.
  • Write a clear title and description explaining your changes.
  • Reference any related issues if the PR suppose to solve them/it.
  • Submit the pull request for review following guidlines.

Best Practices#

For New Contributors#

  • Start with documentation or small bug fixes.
  • Ask questions in project discussions if unclear.
  • Be patient with review processes.

For Experienced Developers#

  • Help review other contributions.
  • Mentor newcomers.
  • Consider maintaining your own open source projects.

Final#

If you see that the project is started already, have been published or what's so ever and there're something shurely you can improve, even the README.md file - do it, it would be thankfully appreciated!

Remember that every contribution matters, whether it's code, documentation, bug reports, or feature suggestions.